Southwest Gets Approval for International Terminal

A nationally recognized reporter, writer, and consumer advocate, Ed Perkins focuses on how travelers can find the best deals and avoid scams.

He is the author of "Online Travel" (2000) and "Business Travel: When It's Your Money" (2004), the first step-by-step guide specifically written for small business and self-employed professional travelers. He was also the co-author of the annual "Best Travel Deals" series from Consumers Union.

Perkins' advice for business travelers is featured on MyBusinessTravel.com, a website devoted to helping small business and self-employed professional travelers find the best value for their travel dollars.

Perkins was founding editor of Consumer Reports Travel Letter, one of the country's most influential travel publications, from which he retired in 1998. He has also written for Business Traveller magazine (London).

Perkins' travel expertise has led to frequent television appearances, including ABC's "Good Morning America" and "This Week with David Brinkley," "The CBS Evening News with Dan Rather," CNN, and numerous local TV and radio stations.

Before editing Consumer Reports Travel Letter, Perkins spent 25 years in travel research and consulting with assignments ranging from national tourism development strategies to the design of computer-based tourism models.

Born in Evanston, Illinois, Perkins lives in Ashland, Oregon with his wife.

Southwest is officially going global. The Houston City Council approved Southwest’s proposal to build a new international terminal at Hobby Airport. The new terminal will likely open for flights starting in 2015.

Hobby—Houston’s older and smaller airport—is the focus of Southwest’s extensive operations in the area, and it makes a logical gateway for Southwest’s initial foray into international flying.

In normal circumstances, this deal would have been a no-brainer for everybody involved. But United tried to fight it, in a vain attempt to avoid Southwest’s formidable competition on flights to nearby points in the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, and northern South America.

But good sense prevailed, and you should be able to enjoy the benefits in a few years.